Controlling apparatus for highway crossing signals



Nov. 24, 1936. J. J. VANHORN CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR HIGHWAY CROSSINGFiled June 15, 1935 1 S IGNALS A G 2 &

H is ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1936 llhlllEEi fi'l'ATES 5:" or iesCONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR HIGHWAY CROSSING SIGNALS Application June 15,1935, Serial No. 26,731

17 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for the contrcl of highway crossingsignals, that is, to means for the control of signals which are placedat intersections of railways and highways for the purpose of warningusers of the highway when a train is approaching.

One feature of my invention is the provision of means for controlling ahighway crossing signal by trains passing along the track in such manneras to continue the operation of the signal until the entire train haspassed over the crossing without the use of an additional track circuitat the intersection.

I will describe several forms of apparatus em bodying my invention, andwill then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustratingone form of apparatus embodying my invention, applied to single track.Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating another form of apparatusembodying my invention applied to double track. Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticView illustrating still another form of apparatus embodying my inventionapplied to an intersection the width of which is greater than the lengthof the shortest car or engine moving over the track.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theseveral views.

Referring to the drawing, the rails l and 6A of a stretch of singletrack W are divided by insulated joints 2 into sections Al3 and 13-6.Section BC includes the intersection of the railway and a highwaydesignated by the reference char acter H. Each section is provided witha track circuit including a track relay designated by the referencecharacter R with a distinguishing suffix connected across the rails land M at one end of the section, and a track battery 3 connected acrossthe rails at the other end of the section The relays RI and R2 are hereshown as the two magnets of an interlocking relay K.

A light sensitive device designated in general by the referencecharacter Q is located at the point D on the opposite sideof the highwayfrom the point B. The device Q as here shown comprises a source of lightL arranged so as to project a beam of light J across the track W in thepath of a train passing the point D. On the opposite side of the track Wfrom the light source L and receiving light from the beam J is aphoto-electric generator G. The generator G has the property ofconverting the energy of light rays into electrical energy. A number ofphoto-electric generators are well known, one

such generator being described in Letters Patent of the United StatesNo. 1,970,135, issued August 14, 1934, to Lars O. Grondahl and Paul H.Geiger. The light source L is constantly energized by a suitable sourceof current the terminals of which are designated by the referencecharacters X and O, and a relay P is connected to the generator G. Whenno train is present at the point D so that the generator G receiveslight from the source L through the beam J, relay P will be energized asshown in the drawing. When a train passing the point D intercepts thelight beam J, so that the generator G will not receive light, the relayP will be deenergized.

The highway is protected by a signal S of any suitable type such, forexample, as a bell or a light signal or a combination of both,

It is apparent from the drawing that signal S will operate when any oneof three contacts becomes closed. That is, signal S will operate whenback contact l of magnet Rl is closed, or when back contact 5 of magnetR2 is closed or when back contact 6 of relay P is closed. For example,when an eastbound train, that is, a train moving from left to rightenters section AB, relay Rl will become deenergized so that back contacti will be closed to initiate the operation of the signal. When the frontof the train intercepts the light beam J so that relay P becomesdeenergized, back contact 5 will be closed to continue the operation ofthe signal until the rear of the train passes the point D. Theinterlocking feature of the relay K will prevent back contact 5 fromclosing while the receding train occupies section BC so that the signalwill not operate after the rear of such train passes point D. Sincesection B--C extends through the highway H, a train approaching theintersection from the opposite direction will cause the signal S tooperate until the rear of such train passes point B. Thus, the signal Swill operate for a train moving in either direction as long as anyportion of such train occupies the track between the points B and D.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the reference characters W and Y designate thetwo tracks, respectively, of a stretch of double track. Each track isprovided with an interlocking relay designated by the referencecharacter K with a distinguishing prefix. The interlocking relay lKcomprises magnets R! and R2 which are connected to the rails of sectionsAB and B-C, respectively, of track W, and the interlocking relay 2Kcomprises magnets R3 and R l which are connected to the rails ofsections AB and BC, respectively, of

the track Y. Each section of both tracks is provided with the usualtrack battery 3. The light sensitive device Q is located at the point Dand controls the relay P in a manner similar to that just described forthe arrangement shown in Fig. l.

The reference character PS designates a normally energized stick relaycontrolled jointly by the relay P and the interlocking relays IX and 2K.The stick relay PS is provided with a pickup circuit which passes fromterminal X, through front contact I of relay P and relay PS to terminalO; and with a stick circuit which passes from terminal X through flagmancontact 9 of magnet R3 of relay 2K, fiagman contact ll! of magnet RI ofrelay IK, front contact 8 of relay PS and relay PS to terminal 0. Thus,relay PS will become released when relay P is released provided eithercontact 9 or contact Ii! is opened.

The signal S is so controlled that it will be caused to operate if anyone of the following back contacts becomes closed: back contact I I ofmagnet RI, back contact I2 of magnet R2, back contact I3 of magnet R3,back contact I4 of magnet R4 or back contact I5 of relay PS. Thus, itwill be apparent that signal S will operate in the usual manner fortrains moving in either direction on either track and will also operateas long as the beam J is intercepted by a train passing the point D. Forexample, I shall assume that an eastbound train on track W enterssection A-B so that magnet RI becomes released to close back contact IIand to open flagman contact Iii. When back contact II is closed theoperation of the signal S will be initiated. When the train passes pointD and intercepts the light beam J, the relay P will become released toopen front contact I. Since fiagman contact I6 and front contact 1 arenow both opened, the relay PS will become released to close its backcontact I5 and the signal S will continue to operate as long as contactI5 is closed. When the rear of the train passes point D so that relay Pbecomes energized to close its front contact I in the pickup circuit forrelay PS, the relay PS will then open its back contact I5 to stop theoperation of the signal.

When a train is moving in the opposite direction in section AB of theupper track the flagman contact IQ of magnet R! will not become openedso that relay PS will not be released. The relay PS, therefore, will notcause operation of the signal S for westbound trains on the track W.

Although I have described the operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2for train movements on the upper track only, the apparatus will operatein a similar manner for train movements on' the lower track.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the stretch of single track W is here shownintersected by a highway II which is wider than a single car or enginemoving over the track W. The usual interlocking relay K having itsmagnets RI and R2 connected to the rails of sections AB and BC,respectively, is provided with a. flagman contact I6 controlled bymagnet RI. The light sensitive device Q is provided with controllingrelay P as described above in connection with Fig. 1. Associated withthe relay P are two normally energized stick relays designated by thereference characters PSA and PSB.

The relay PSA is provided with two pickup circuits and one stickcircuit. The first pickupcircuit passes from terminal X through backpoint of contact I! of relay P and relay PSA to terminal O. The secondpickup circuit passes from terminal X through front contact I3 of magnetR2 of interlocking relay K and relay PSA to terminal O. The stickcircuit passes from terminal X through fiagman contact Iii of magnet RI,front contact I9 of relay PSA, and relay PSA to terminal 0. Thus, therelay PSA will be released when flagman contact it of magnet RE and.front contact I8 of magnet R2 both become opened by an eastbound trainbridging sections A-B and B--C and will be picked up when back point ofcontact ll of relay P becomes closed in response to such trainintercepting the light beam J at point D, but will be pr vented fromreleasing by flagman contact It of magnet RI when section A--B becomesoccupied by a westbound train.

The relay PSB is provided with a pickup circuit which passes fromterminal X through front point of contact Ill of relay P and relay PS3to terminal 0, and with a stick circuit which passes from terminal Xthrough front contact 29 of relay PSA, front contact 2i of relay PSB andrelay P813 to terminal 0. Thus, relay PS8 will be released when relay Pand relay PSA are both released in response to an eastbound trainentering section BC and will be picked up when the rear of such trainpasses point D.

The signal S will be caused to operate when any of the following backcontacts become closed: back contact 22 of magnet RI, back contact 23 ofmagnet R2, back contact 24 of relay PSA, or back contact 25 of relayPSB.

When an eastbound car of length shorter than the distance from point Bto point D enters section AB, the magnet Rf will become released so thatits back contact will become closed to operate the signal S and itsflagman cont t will become opened. When the car enters sec on 13-0 sothat front contact E8 of magnet R2 becomes opened, relay PSA will bereleased so that its back contact M will become closed to continue theoperation of the signal S. When the front of the car intercepts thelight beam J, P will become released to open the front point nd closethe back point of its contact ii. The opening of the front point ofcontact l'l will release relay PS3 to continue operation of the signaland the closing of the back point of contact I'i will energize the relayPSA. When the rear of the car passes point D, the relay P will againbecome energized to pick up relay PSB. The interlocking feature of therelay K will prevent the closing of back contact 23 of magnet R2 so thatthe. signal S can not operate after the car passes point I).

Since flagman contact $6 of magnet l'ti will not become opened when awestbound car cnt as section AB, neither the relay PSA nor the relay PS5will become released for such westbound movements.

In the event that an eastbound car should ente' section B-C from sectionA-B and then revert its direction without intercepting the light beam J,the relay PSA will be restored to its normal energized condition as soonas the car departs from section B-C by virtue of its pickup ciic itwhich includes front contact of magnet It will be noted that in Figs. 2and 3, the signal S will not be caused to operate when the light beam Jis intercepted unless the proper relays are released. The. operation ofsignal S, therefore, will not be initiated if the light J should beintercepted by objects other than passing trains. For example, thesignal S in Fig. 2

will not be operated unless either contact 9 of magnet R3 or contact illof magnet R! is opened even though contact I of relay P may be opened.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have provided asimple and reliable means for causing the operation of a highwaycrossing signal as long as any portion of a train or car occupies theintersection. Furthermore, my invention is applicable to highwaycrossings of any width and may be so arranged that interception of thelight beam by objects other than a passing train will not cause falseoperation of the signal.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatusembodying my invention, it is understood that various changes andmodifications may be made therein Within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided into two sections,a signal, a relay operable by a train entering one of said sections foroperating said signal, another relay operable by a train entering theother section for operating said signal, a device for indicating thepresence of a train at a particular point in one of said sections, saiddevice being effective regardless of the presence of the wheels or axlesof such train, and means controlled by said device for at timesoperating said signal.

2. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided into two sections,a signal, a relay operable by a train entering one of said sections foroperating said signal, another relay operable by a train entering theother section for operating said signal, a light sensitive device forindicating the presence of a train at a particular point in one of saidsections, a relay controlled by said device, and means controlled bysaid relay for operating said signal.

3. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided into two sections,a signal, a relay operable by a train entering one of said sections foroperating said signal, another relay operable by a train entering theother section for operating said signal, means for producing a beam oflight arranged so as to be interrupted by a train passing a particularpoint in one of said sections, and means controlled by said beam oflight for governing said signal.

4. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided into two sections,a signal, a relay operable by a train entering one of said sections foroperating said signal, another relay operable by a train entering theother section for operating said signal, a source of light projecting abeam in the path of a train passing a particular point in one of saidsections, a photo-electric generator normally receiving light from saidbeam, a relay controlled by current from said generator, and meanscontrolled by said relay for governing said signal.

5. In combination, two stretches of parallel railway tracks bothintersected by a highway, a highway crossing signal adjacent theintersection, a relay, means controlled by said relay for controllingsaid highway crossing signal, a photoelectric generator connected tosaid relay, and means for producing a beam of light normally supplyinglight to said generator and disposed in the path of trains on eithertrack passing a particular point adjacent the intersection.

6. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided by insulatedjoints into two sections, a highway intersecting one of said sectionsadjacent said insulated joints, a highway crossing signal located at thepoint of intersection, an interlocking relay controlled by traflicconditions in both sections for operating said signal, a source of lightlocated at a point adjacent said highway but on the opposite side fromsaid insulated joints and projecting a beam of light in the path of atrain passing said point on said track, a photo-electric generator inthe path of said beam, and a relay controlled by said generator foroperating said signal.

'7. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided by insulatedjoints into two sections, a highway intersecting one of said sectionsadjacent said insulated joints, a highway crossing signal located at thepoint of intersection, means for operating said signal as long as saidone section is occupied by a train approaching the intersection, anothermeans for operating said signal as long as the other section is occupiedby a train approaching the intersection, a source of light projecting abeam of light in the path of a train passing a point adjacent saidhighway but on the opposite side from said insulated joints, aphoto-electric generator receiving light from said beam, a relayconnected to said generator, and means including a contact of said relayfor operating said signal when said beam is intercepted by a train.

8. In combination, a stretch of railway track divided by insulatedjoints into two sections, a highway intersecting one of said sectionsadjacent said insulated joints, a highway crossing signal located at thepoint of intersection, means for operating said signal as long as saidone section is occupied by a train approaching the intersection, anothermeans for operating said signal as long as the other section is occupiedby a train approaching the intersection, a source of light projecting abeam of light in the path of a train passing a point adjacent saidhighway but on the opposite side from said insulated joints, aphoto-electric generator receiving light from said beam, a first relayconnected to said generator, and a second relay controlled jointly byboth of said means and by said first relay for at times operating saidsignal when said beam is intercepted by a train.

9. In combination, two stretches of parallel railway track each dividedby insulated joints into two sections, a highway intersecting each trackadjacent said insulated joints, a highway crossing signal locatedadjacent the intersection, two interlocking relays one associated witheach track and each for controlling said highway crossing signal inaccordance with traffic conditions in the two sections of the associatedtrack, a source of light projecting a beam of light in the path of atrain on either track passing a point located adjacent said highway buton the opposite side from said insulated joints, a photo-electricgenerator receiving light from said beam, a relay connected to saidgenerator, and means controlled jointly by both of said interlockingrelays and by said first relay for operating said signal when a train oneither track receding from the intersection intercepts said beam oflight.

-10. A stretch of railway track divided into a first and a secondsection, a highway intersecting said first section, a highway crossingsignal located at the point of intersection, means for causing saidsignal to operate when a train approaching the intersection occupiessaid first section, means for causing said signal to operate when atrain approaching the intersection occupies said second section, aphoto-electric generator receiving energy from a source of light, saidsource of light being so positioned with respect to the highway and tothe path of a train occupying said first section that the light isintercepted if any portion of a train receding from the highway in saidfirst section is within the limits of the highway, and means includingsaid photo-electric generator for causing the operation of said signalas long as said light is intercepted by such receding train.

11. A stretch of railway track divided at a particular point into afirst section and a second section, said second section intersectedadjacent said point by a highway wider than the length of a car movingover said stretch, a highway crossing signal located adjacent theintersection, means for causing said signal to operate when a carapproaching the intersection occupies said first section, means forcausing said signal to operate when a car approaching the intersectionoccupies said second section, a light sensitive device located atanother point on the opposite side of said highway from said particularpoint, and means including said light sensitive device for causing theoperation of said signal as long as any portion of a car moving fromsaid first section to said second section is between said particularpoint and said other point.

12. A stretch of railway track divided into two sections, a highwayintersecting said stretch, a highway crossing signal located at theintersection, an interlocking relay controlled by traffic conditions inboth of said sections for governing said signal, a normally energizedrelay receiving energy from a photo-electric generator, a source oflight for projecting a beam of light upon said generator, said beam oflight disposed in the path of a train 'moving past a particular point insaid stretch, a stick relay for controlling said signal, a pickupcircuit for said stick relay including a front contact of said normallyenergized relay, and a stick circuit for said stick relay including itsown front contact and a contact of said interlocking relay.

13. A stretch of railway track divided into two sections, a highwayintersecting said stretch, a highway crossing signal located at theintersection, an interlocking relay controlled by traffic conditions inboth of said sections for governing said signal, a normally energizedrelay receiving energy from a photo-electric generator, a source oflight for projecting a beam of light upon said generator, said beam oflight disposed in the path of a train moving past a particular point insaid stretch, a stick relay for controlling said signal, a first pickupcircuit for said stick relay including a back contact of said normallyenergized relay, a second pickup circuit for said stick relay includinga front contact of said interlocking relay, and a stick circuit for saidstick relay including its own front contact and a front contact of saidinterlocking relay.

1%. A stretch of railway track divided into two sections, a highwayintersecting said stretch, a highway crossing signal located at theintersection, an interlocking relay controlled by trai'fic conditions inboth of said sections for governing said signal, a normally energizedrelay receiving energy from a photo-electric generator, a source oflight for projecting a beam of light upon said generator, said beam oflight disposed in the path of a train moving past a particular point insaid stretch, another relay for controlling said signal controlledjointly by said interlocking relay and by said normally energized relay,a stick relay also for controlling said signal, a pickup circuit forsaid stick relay including a front contact of said normally caergizedrelay, and a stick circuit for said stick relay including its own frontcontact and a front contact of said other relay.

15. In combination, a stretch of railway track, a relay responsive totraffic conditions in said stretch, a light sensitive device including alight beam disposed in the path of a train passing a particular point insaid stretch, another relay controlled by said light sensitive device,a. signal for said stretch, and means controlled by both said relayseiiective to cause the operation of said signal when said light beam isintercepted by a train but ineffective to cause the operation of saidsignal if said light beam is intercepted by an object other than atrain.

16. In combination, a stretch of railway track including a track circuithaving a track relay, a light sensitive device including a light beamdisposed in the path of a train passing a particular point in saidstretch, a signal for said stretch, and means controlled by said lightsensitive device for causing operation of said signal if said light beamis intercepted and efiective when and only when said track relay isdeenergized.

1'7. In combination, a stretch of railway track, a signal for saidstretch, directional means for causing the operation of said signal fortrains occupying the stretch and approaching the signal from eitherdirection, a light sensitive device including a beam of light disposedin the path of a train present at a particular point in said stretch,and means controlled by said device and by said directional means forgoverning said signal, said means effective to govern the signal whensaid beam of light is intercepted if and only if such interception iscaused by a train.

JAMES J. VANI-IORN.

